Adjusting a field of view (FOV) of a scene during an image capture process may be performed in various ways.
First, an optical zoom lens may be interposed in an optical path between the image capture device and the scene. However, the optical zoom lens cannot change a shape of the field of view as needed and is often more complicated and bulky than a fixed focal length lens.
Second, multiple images may be captured at different angles by rotating a single camera and stitching the multiple images together. However, physical rotation of the camera is usually slow because a camera can be heavy. As such, this method may not be able to capture dynamic (e.g., quickly changing) scenes or video.
Third, a single camera may be used to capture a large FOV. For example, a fisheye lens may capture photos of >180 degree FOV and some catadioptric lens designs allow one camera to capture 360 degree FOV within a single shot. However, these large FOV photos often come with much less detail than a traditional camera, because fewer pixels are included in a given angle range within the FOV. Also, these wide FOV designs often introduce strong geometrical distortion, which may degrade image quality.
Fourth, multiple cameras may be used to capture images of different angles simultaneously. The multiple images from the different cameras may then be stitched together. For example, two fisheye cameras may be arranged back to back, each covering 180 degree FOV. By stitching their photos together, one may get a 360 degree spherical photo. However, a multiple camera system is usually complicated, bulky, and expensive.